THE HOUSE of Representatives has realigned P8.072 billion in the proposed 2027 national budget for education programs, including P500 million for school safety and security.

The Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations approved the proposed education-sector realignments during its deliberations.

House Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Nueva Ecija First District Representative Mikaela Angela Suansing said the realignments cover basic education, higher education, and technical-vocational education.

Suansing said the P7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program had no allocation for school safety and security, prompting the subcommittee to propose P500 million for the program.

She said the proposed funding would help schools prepare for possible incidents involving school shootings, violence, and other threats to student safety.

The proposed P500 million comes amid three deadly school shootings reported in the Philippines since June 2026.

For basic education, the subcommittee approved P1.952 billion in additional funding under the Department of Education. The amount includes P500 million for school safety and security, P50 million for the Madrasah Education Program, P75 million for Special Needs Education, P25 million for the Indigenous Peoples Education Program, P350 million for the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, and P952 million for the Basic Education Facilities Fund.

For higher education, the subcommittee approved P2.102 billion for the Tertiary Education Subsidy and P1.766 billion for the Tulong Dunong Program under the Commission on Higher Education.

It also approved P70 million for the University of the Philippines Center for Education and Development, P275 million for research services under Project NOAH through the UP Resilience Institute, and P15 million for the UP Diliman Institute of Mathematics.

Another P456 million was approved to augment locally funded projects in various state universities and colleges.

Suansing said the additional funding for higher education totals P4.68 billion, on top of the P1.95 billion allocated for basic education.

For the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the subcommittee approved P966.6 million for the Training for Work Scholarship Program and P469.2 million for the Special Training for Employment Program, bringing the total additional funding for TESDA programs to P1.44 billion.

Suansing said the education cluster was the first to complete its budget review, with approved realignments totaling P8.072 billion.

She said the House remains committed to ensuring that the education cluster receives the biggest budgetary share in the proposed national budget.